Stranger in a Strange Land
by cheri1
Summary: Eleven/Rose with Amy/Rory and River. Rose's POV. Rose used the dimension cannon to land in an alternate universe and finds out that the Doctor is going to be executed in Trafalgar Square on the day that she arrives.
1. Prologue

Prologue

It never gets easier…

I've been to several universes now and the landing is still just as rough as the first time we tried the dimension cannon. There's nausea and a feeling of disorientation that comes from crossing the void at rapid speed. Plus, I never know what I'm going to find once I land. The Doctor was right about the universes being similar with a few differences between them. Most of the ones I've been to have been similar to my universe, nothing terribly dangerous which is a good thing since I've yet to find the Doctor. I have a special scanner that can scan for any artron energy on the planet. That's that background radiation one gets from being inside the TARDIS. I programmed the device so it doesn't pick up my artron energy. So far though, not a sausage. The Doctor is nowhere to be found and I'm getting nervous. I need to find him and find him fast.

I have a quick look round before I scan for the energy. I'm in London and it looks like the London I know except no zeppelins in the air. I'm wondering if it means I'm back home. God, I hope so. I use the scanner and my heart soars when it finally registers a signal. Oh, my beloved Doctor, at last I found you.

The SATNAV map comes up and I notice he's not too far from me. I race out of an alleyway and skid to a stop when my feet hit the pavement. I notice several men dressed in dark uniforms with black leather boots, black helmets and thick sunglasses. They're walking around here and on the other side of the street as if on patrol. This can't be right. Perhaps I landed in the future somewhere. I find a newsagents and scan the dates on the newspapers. They say it's the 25th of June, 2008. That can't be right. Maybe there was a terrorist attack then?

Then my heart stops when I get a proper look at the headline on the Times…

DISSIDANT TIME LORD TO BE EXECUTED TODAY.

I unfold the paper and look at the photo but it's not the Doctor. At least it's not the Doctor I know. It's someone younger with brown hair that hangs off the side. Did he regenerate again?

"Excuse me, ducky, are you gonna buy that?"

I look up when I heard that and look at the elderly man behind the counter who is glaring at me and pointing to the paper. I sigh, reached into my pocket and give him a quid for it. He thanks me and steps back, watching warily while I walk away as if I'm going to pinch something from his precious shop. I check the SATNAV and head towards the energy signature while I quickly scan the article. According to the article, the Doctor had been taken prisoner with three other people whose names I didn't recognize and put on trial for trying to dismantle the Argelion Regime, whatever that is. He was going to be…boiled alive in Trafalgar Square at three in the afternoon. I check my watch and notice I have two hours until that happens. It also said the three others were awaiting their own executions to be carried out at a later date. I folded the paper up and put it under my arm and ran through the crowd past the patrolling men and on towards the Doctor.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One

I was in for a shock once I reached Trafalgar Square. The familiar statue of Nelson was gone and in it's place was a huge concrete platform with concrete steps leading up to it on all sides. Around it on all sides were concrete bleachers that rose up ten rows high. They were long and I could tell that each one could hold a fair amount of people. I wondered if Nelson's Column had ever been here or if this was always an execution ground to begin with. I could see four jumbo tellys on every side just beyond the outskirts of the square. I figured this was for the overflow that couldn't get prime seating to the event.

At the moment the square was empty. I stood beside the platform and looked around but I notice people were keeping their distance from it and making a real effort not to look at it. I thought perhaps when I saw this place that it was set up for entertainment purposes like when the crowds used to watch executions on Tower Hill but now I wonder if people are forced to come and watch the executions as a way to keep them in line. The platform was bare, no huge cauldron or anything like that but perhaps they bring all that stuff in just before the execution. I knew one thing, time was short and I needed to find a way to get to the Doctor before his sentence was carried out.

I left the square and discreetly followed my SATNAV, keeping clear of the men of the black who were patrolling everywhere, nearly every corner had at least one bloke walking around and looking menacing and the people who walked past them kept their heads low and didn't look or talk to them. I kept my SATNAV in my pocket whenever I went past one and pulled it out again when there were no men in black around. But given the fact that they were everywhere I kept doing that over and over and I finally gave up, figuring I could tell them it was a mobile if they stopped and asked me.

After fifteen minutes, I was nearing the Doctor and I checked the SATNAV and looked up. Ahead of me was an enormous black concrete building with iron bars on every window. The building was about the size of a football pitch and it dominated the area. There were men and black all around it but these blokes were standing in place and keeping watch on the people who walked by, which to be honest weren't many. I stepped carefully towards the building, keeping an eye on the men. I was looking for any women in black because I had a plan forming in my mind. I finally did see a couple near the front entrance on the side of the building. They were flanking a huge steel door that looked impenetrable. I had an extremely crude sonic screwdriver in my pocket. Nothing as fancy as the Doctor's sonic but it could unlock doors which was all I needed at the moment. Problem was, I had to lure one of those women away from the door, knock her out and take her clothes and any ID she had on her.

I decided to go over the street and go towards the entrance. I also had a small taser with me and I decided that if I could get the women away from the door, I could stun them and carry on. I walked down the pavement to the entrance and stood across from the women, waving my arms to get their attention. The woman to the left, to my relief, had blonde hair that was about the same length and color as mine and she looked about my size.

"Can you help me?" I said to them. "My friend is being mugged and I need your help!"

"Find someone else, ma'am, we're busy," Blondie said with all the compassion of a snail.

"But it's urgent," I said. "She's in the alley just around the corner and you're the closest people. Besides, I feel more comfortable asking a woman to do it. Please help?"

The other woman was black. Her hair was cut military style. She was wearing sunglasses but I could tell she was angry at being disturbed.

"Go away, ma'am," she said tersely.

"But it's urgent," I said.

"Ma'am, we won't tell you again to leave the area," Blondie said.

I was frustrated. What could I do? Then I spied a rock near me. I smirked, picked it up and flung it at Blondie's head.

"Hey!" Blondie said, sidestepping the rock and she and the black woman chased me the moment I started to run.

"Fuck you, pigs!" I yelled out as I headed towards a nearby alley.

I careened into it and to my relief, found it empty. I pulled the taser out of my pocket and pressed myself up against a brick wall to my left. When Blondie came around the corner I leapt at her and put the taser against her neck, knocking her out within seconds once I turned it on. When she fell to the ground, I looked over to see the black woman had just come into the alley. She stopped, stunned, and stared at her fallen comrade. I took advantage of that and pounced on her, using the taser on her chest. The black woman shook for a second from the electricity coursing through her body and then fell to the ground unconscious. I dragged them both to a skip halfway down the alley and hid them behind it. Then I quickly stripped Blondie and myself, exchanged our clothes and hid my clothes carefully inside the skip, near the top on some flattened cardboard boxes. I checked the pockets of my new uniform and found an ident card. I clipped it to my shirt, put the helmet and sunglasses on and after checking to make sure the two women were still unconscious, I casually walked back to the entrance of the prison.

To my relief, the ident card worked in a scanner just beside the door. I slid it through a black card reader and the light on the reader went from red to green. I tried the door and was amazed at how easily it opened. I snuck inside and quietly shut it behind me. I was standing in a long passageway that had no decoration of any kind. There was lino on the floor that was slightly dirty and scuffed. The walls were painted a dull white and were also a bit dirty in places. There was a chemical smell to the place that made me wrinkle my nose. At the end of the passageway I could see a long wooden desk. A woman sat at it, doing paperwork. She wasn't dressed in black though. She had on a white blouse but that's all I could see from my vantage point. She had long red hair and looked about late thirties. I walked down the passageway towards her. She glanced up and I flashed her my ident card. She nodded and went back to her paperwork. I noticed that she had a name badge on the blouse and her name was D. NOBLE. There were more passageways off to her left and right and there were metal doors on both sides of the hallway. Each one had a little sliding door near the bottom and a little window near the top. D. Noble looked at me when I stood there while trying to decide where to go.

"Something wrong?" she said.

"Yes," I said, trying to imitate Blondie's voice. "I need to see the Time Lord, where is he?"

"Torture chamber, love," D. Noble said emotionlessly.

"Right. Where is that again?" I said, feeling stupid.

The SATNAV wasn't accurate enough to give me the exact location of the Doctor inside the building and I could tell from the annoyed look on D. Noble's face that the location of the torture chamber was something I should know.

"Look, I know I'm a temp and I'm filling in for the real receptionist but even I know you know where the torture chamber is," D. Noble said condescendingly. "I'm not that thick, sunshine."

"Just humor me," I said to her, trying to keep my temper in check.

D. Noble let out a sigh and pointed off to her left.

"Down the corridor, last door on the right," she said sarcastically. "Have I passed your little test then?"

"You did with flying colors…um…sorry, what's your name again?"

D. Noble gave me a withering look.

"Donna," she said. "But of course I wouldn't expect someone as extremely important as you to remember that."

"Wait, Donna Noble?" I said in shock.

"Yeah, that's what this says," Donna said, tapping the name badge while giving me an you're an idiot look.

I know about Donna. We'd been studying her and her connection to the Doctor for some time now. But it seems like in this reality she didn't know him. At least I hope she didn't know him and she wasn't betraying him and going back to working as a temp while he boiled to death. I thanked her and Donna let out a sigh and mumbled about the stupidity of the guards around here while I hurried past her and made me way down the corridor towards the torture chamber.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

I approached the door to the torture chamber with hesitation. Torture chamber wasn't a good thing and I was terrified of what I might find if I opened the door. I paused at the door and looked back down the passageway. Donna was watching me so I decided not to linger in case I arouse some suspicions about my identity. I slid the ident card down the scanner and I heard a click as the door unlocked. With my heart in my throat, I opened it and instantly recoiled from the smell of sweat and blood and burnt flesh. Swallowing hard, I forced myself to open the door and step inside. The room was semi dark with one lone fluorescent light in the ceiling. I could see racks with torture implement off to the left against the wall and I could see a wooden table off to the right along with a wooden scaffold. At the back of the room were concrete cells with iron bars over the entrances. There were four cells and in the first one I saw the dim outline of a naked man lying on the straw near the back of it. He didn't acknowledge me as I shut the door and moved towards him but I could see lash marks crisscrossing his back and it made me sick to my stomach. I walked over to the door and used my sonic to unlock it.

"Hello?" I said tentatively as I opened the door and stepped inside. "Are you the Doctor?"

He didn't answer and I slowly moved towards him. At first I wondered if this was the Doctor since he didn't speak or look my way. But I saw his hair and even though it was matted with dirty and straw, it was the hairdo I saw in his photo.

"Doctor?" I said when I reached his side.

I bent down to shake his shoulder when suddenly with lightning speed, the Doctor leapt up and before I could act, his arm was around my neck and he had me in a chokehold.

"Where are they?" he growled at me as he put his other hand to side of my head. "Where are my friends?"

My heart raced like mad. He was applying pressure and I was terrified that he was going to snap my neck at any moment.

"Doctor, it's me, it's Rose," I said frantically, hoping he knew me here. "Rose Tyler, please it's me!"

The Doctor froze and the pressure on my neck eased slightly.

"You're lying," he finally said. "This is a trick."

"No, I swear it isn't," I said. "I'm Rose, honestly. Take off my helmet and sunglasses."

The Doctor used his free hand to take off my helmet and sunglasses. His arm still around my neck, he forced me out of the cell and into the light. He stood there and I could see him bend his head forward to look at me. I took comfort in the fact that he knew me in this reality and I prayed he'd be convinced I was the real deal. I felt the pressure on my neck ease off and his arm slipped down off my neck. I turned to get a good look at him and flinched when I saw that someone had roughed him up. His left eye was swollen shut and there were bruises on his cheek. He had a split and swollen lip and a bit of dried blood made a line down to his chin. He looked at me in disbelief, his one good eye looking me up and down.

"No, this is a trick. It's a hallucination," he said, shaking his head slowly. "They did something to me during the torture and now I'm seeing Rose."

"It's not a trick. I came across the void to find you," I said. "Or…find my original Doctor. I don't think you're him since this isn't my world. At least I don't think it is, what's going on here?"

The Doctor still had a wary look on his face but he swallowed and spoke to me.

This Earth is controlled by someone from outer space. They call themselves the Argelion Regime but I haven't been able to suss out exactly who they are yet. The human thugs are all brainwashed slaves. The people responsible for this aren't human, that much I know."

"And Donna? Is she brainwashed as well?"

The Doctor grinned.

"No, I think Donna is just the temp. She's never been one for seeing the big picture. I doubt she realizes what's really going on here," he said. "I'm sure she thinks of this as just another job. But what about you then? Why are you risking all of reality and crossing the void. If you're not my Rose, did your Doctor warn you about that?"

"He did but we need you. Something's happening to make the stars go out and the walls of reality are collapsing. That's why I was able to go over the void safely," I said.

"And you've been searching for me all this time?" the Doctor said.

"Well, searching for the Doctor. I didn't realize there was more than one," I said.

"I didn't either. That's nice though, saves me having to look after all the realities," the Doctor said.

I touched his bare chest and the Doctor watched while I ran a finger down a lash mark that was nearly healed.

"Did you and I? Did we? Were we…lovers here?" I said, my eyes glancing up at him.

"Were we in your reality?" the Doctor said.

I nodded and my heart quickened when he moved closer to me and kissed the top of my head.

"I think that should answer that," he said with a boyish grin.

"How long have you been here though?" I said, carefully putting my arms around him. "And who are these friends you asked me about?"

"My current companions. Three of them. Amy, Rory and their daughter, River. They were separated from me when we were brought here and I haven't seen them since. As for how long I've been here…not sure, but maybe a week. There are no windows in here, at least not in the cells I've been in and I'm not sure of the passing of time."

I looked and noticed there was the slight beginnings of a beard. The Doctor put his face near mine and breathed in my scent.

"I can't believe it's you," he said. "I still keep thinking it's a trick and you're a hallucination. Jack is here, he's one of the guards."

"Our Jack?" I said, shocked.

The Doctor nodded.

"Yeah. He's one of them now. He's the one that did most of the torture on me and I thought when I saw you that he used his memories of you to make me hallucinate. We have to be careful because he might come back at any time."

I was sickened at the thought of one of my best friends torturing the Doctor. I wondered perhaps if he could be helped and possibly help us in return. I asked the Doctor that and he shrugged.

"Until I know for sure what we're dealing with, I can't say for certain if I can counteract the brainwashing," he said. "Even if I could, it would take time and time is definitely not on my side now."

"I won't let them hurt you anymore," I said, putting my hand on his chest.

He chuckled and his eye twinkled with mirth.

"I want you safe, my Doctor," he said. "Protected from the false god."

I knew what that meant, even though I don't remember saying it. But my Doctor told me what happened and told me what I said during one of our intimate moments.

"I mean every word of that," I said to him.

The Doctor smiled and nodded as he stroked my cheek.

"Well, now we have to find me some kit, rescue the others and find a way to bring down this Argelion Regime once and for all. Up to the challenge, Tyler?"

"Always," I said.

He leaned in and kissed me briefly. I felt like a dying woman being given a glass of water to drink since it'd been ages since his lips had touched mine. I wanted it to go on and on but the Doctor pulled away and I knew we didn't have time to stand here and snog.

"So, Lewis, ready to do a bit of investigating," he said, grinning.

"Lead the way," I said, glad that he was feeling well enough to do this and that he trusted me.

"I would but I am in the altogether, perhaps we can find some kit for me?" the Doctor said. "A guard's uniform would do nicely and…"

He shut up when he heard the front door unlock and quickly pulled me into the cell. He shut the door and told me to keep to the shadows as the door opened and Jack Harkness stepped inside the room.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Luckily for me, the ceiling light was fairly dim so I could hide safely in the shadows at the back of the cell. I pressed myself up against the back wall, trying to ignore the putrid stench of old urine and sweat that wafted up from the straw. I could tell just by feeling it that it hadn't been changed in awhile.

Jack was wearing an outfit similar to the other men in black. He had taken off his helmet and sunglasses and I noticed his hair was slightly longer than I remembered it. Other than that, he looked the same but there was a coldness in his demeanor and hatred in his eyes that was completely different to the Jack I knew. He sneered when he looked at the Doctor's penis but the Doctor calmly stood there at the cell door.

"Paying a visit, Jack?" he said. "Seeing how you're old friend is doing?"

"Old friend," Jack scoffed. "We're not friends, we never were. I'm better than you and you know it."

I had a thought while watching all this. The Doctor was strong, far stronger than he looked. I'd seen him put Jack in a headlock before back when he was traveling with me and the Ninth Doctor. Jack was messing about and teasing him while the Doctor was working on his console and he finally grabbed him and got him in the headlock in order to make him stop. I was certain he was still capable of that so why was Jack able to subdue him long enough to torture him? Did they drug him before torture? Was the Doctor pretending to submit and allow himself to be tortured so it would throw everyone off guard? If so, it must have been painful to undergo all that, especially at the hands of his best friend.

Jack came closer to the Doctor. He reached inside his trouser pocket and pulled out a tiny black remote. He pushed a button and to my horror, the Doctor groaned in pain, put his hand on the side of his neck and sank to his knees. He kept on groaning while Jack approached and unlocked the cell door.

"Hurts, doesn't it?" Jack said to the groaning Doctor while he opened the door. "Don't worry, in a few hours you won't feel any pain from the microchip or anything else for that matter."

"Microchip. The Doctor was holding the side of his neck so there must be something embedded under the skin. Suddenly, it all made sense and I realized this was how Jack and everyone else got the upper hand on the Doctor. Jack had a gloating look on his face as he entered the cell and stood over the Doctor. While his attention was focused on him, I slowly got to my feet. I watched while Jack briefly taunted the Doctor before raising his hand up to backhand him across the face. It was then that I made my move. I lunged forward at Jack, startling him so much that I was able to shove him and knock him off balance. He staggered back and I tried to grab the remote to turn it off while the Doctor struggled to get to his feet, fighting through the pain to help me.

"Blondie! Long time no see!" Jack said before he backhanded me across the face.

I grunted at the force of the blow and reeled back before my arse hit the floor. But Jack couldn't follow up with his assault because the Doctor was now trying to get at him. So I shook off the dazed feeling I had and leapt to my feet. I looked behind me at the weapons rack and selected a long wooden pike with an iron tip. I yelled a "Kiah!" and Jack turned just as I thrust the tip of the pike in his face. Jack turned his attention to me and the Doctor managed to fight his pain long enough to wrench his wrist and make him drop the remote. He dove for it while Jack hollered in pain. I kept the pike in his face but he growled at me and grabbed it, intending to wrench it from my hand. But the Doctor had turned off the remote and he was now pain free. He leapt back up and clocked Jack with a punch to the face. Jack reeled back and the Doctor kept up the attack, landing punch after punch until Jack fell against the wall in a daze. I put the pike in his face while the Doctor grinned.

"Sorry, Jack, but I had help this time," the Doctor said to him.

"You'll never get away with this," Jack snarled at him.

"Oh, I think I will," the Doctor said. "You, on the other hand, are going to have a kip while Rose and I find my friends and sort this out."

"You're not gonna kill me?" Jack said.

"No, old friend, I'm going to keep you safe until I can undo what they did to you," the Doctor said. "You're on our side, you just don't remember that. And now…"

He leaned over and pinched a nerve on Jack's neck. Jack gasped for a second before his eyes rolled up in his head and he slumped down, unconscious. I lowered the pike and turned it up on its end, leaning it against the wall beside Jack so I could help him undress our friend and then pull him into the cell.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

When we finally got the clothes off Jack and he was secured inside the cell, the Doctor put on the helmet and sunglasses and asked me how he looked.

"Better," I said. "The sunglasses hide your black eye and you look better with the clothes on."

"I'm warmer as well. Cor, it's parky in here when you don't have any kit on," he said.

He clipped his ident card to his shirt while I put my sunglasses and helmet back on. I also clipped on my ident card and we admired each other.

"We look hip," the Doctor said. "Very hip, fascist commandos, that's us!"

"I like the way the black outfit makes you look tough," I teased. "You're a proper yob now."

"And I wasn't a yob before? Rose, that's insulting," the Doctor teased back. "I thought I was the epitome of yobbohood. Rape, pillage and kill, that's me."

"Really?" I teased, raising my eyebrow.

"Well, maybe not rape and kill, but definitely pillage," the Doctor teased back. "I pillage now, pillage is cool," he said while I laughed. "So, are we ready to take down the baddies?"

"What about Donna?" I said. "What do we do with her?"

"Well, it's sorta tricky with her."

He explained about how Donna's memory had been erased and how it would be dangerous for her to remember the Doctor. I asked if maybe we could pretend to be someone else since the last time she saw him was in his previous body. The Doctor nodded.

"That might work. It might take some convincing though to get her to work with us. She's very bloody minded when she wants to be," he said.

"But didn't she know who you were?" I said in disbelief. "The papers called you by name and said you were a Time Lord."

"Rose, Rose, Rose, I keep telling you, she doesn't see things that are right in front of her face," the Doctor said. "I'm sure she cared only that she had a job and not what went on here. I think this room is soundproofed as are all the cells so she can't hear the screams that come from here."

"But I asked her where the torture chamber was and she didn't bat an eyelid," I protested.

"She didn't?" the Doctor said. "Oh. Didn't know that. Well, maybe they did do a bit of brainwashing then. Donna can be a bit thick at times but even she would raise an eyebrow at working at someplace where there was a torture chamber. At any rate, we got to get out of here and find the others before Harkness wakes up. So, are you ready?"

"Ready," I said and I smiled when the Doctor kissed my cheek for luck before we headed towards the door.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Well, we walked up towards Donna and she turned her head to look at us. She didn't look alarmed so either the Doctor's disguise worked or like the Doctor said, she's just not one for paying attention. She was going to go back to her paperwork when the Doctor strode up to the desk and slammed his fist down on the side of it.

"What?" Donna said, annoyed.

"You're coming with us," the Doctor said.

"Why?" Donna challenged.

"Because…I said so and I outrank a temp," the Doctor said.

"For what reason?" Donna said. "I have paperwork to do and…"

"Sod the paperwork. I'm a big, bad guard and I outrank you," the Doctor said.

"What's wrong?" Donna said with a sickening sweetness, "need me to show you where the loo is now?"

I noticed the Doctor was grinning and Donna looked confused when he suddenly gave her a big hug.

"You never change, do ya? That's what I love about ya, Donna Noble," he said into her hair as he hugged her.

I really had to work to keep from laughing since Donna now looked creeped out by this stranger man hugging her tightly. Unsure of what to do, she slowly put her arms around him and gave him a brief hug in return.

"Yeah…I never…change," she said hesitantly. "Now could you let go and let me breathe?"

"Breathing's overrated," the Doctor said, letting go and leaning back up. "Come on, Noble, you're coming with us! Up, up, up and at em!"

"But I have paperwork!" Donna protested. "You're not my boss, you're just one of the peons who work here and I can't swan off and leave all this paper…"

The Doctor suddenly put his hands on the side of her head and Donna gasped as her eyes rolled up inside her head.

"What are you doing?" I said.

"Allowing her a semblance of memory so she'll cooperate with us," the Doctor said. "It's risky but we can't afford to dillydally here while she whinges about paperwork. I just hope this bit of memory release I'm giving her won't cause an overload in her mind."

He did something to her mind for a few minutes and then Donna woke up when he let go of her mind. I watched while she came to and blinked in confusion for a few seconds before looking at us. The Doctor took his helmet and glasses off and Donna stared at him. At first I thought it didn't work since she didn't seem to know who he was but then tears came to her eyes and she jumped up to embrace him.

"Where were you? Why did you leave me behind?" she said as she hugged him.

"I had to, Donna. You know the reason why. Even now I'm taking a big risk by doing this and the moment your mind starts short-circuiting, I'll have to take away the memories again. But Rose and I need your help. We need to find my friends. Where are the other prisoners because I've been in the torture chamber since I got here."

"This…is a prison?" Donna said, looking around.

"Yes, Donna, what'd you think it was?" the Doctor said.

"They told me it was an office building. A high security office building with lots of guards."

"I asked where the torture chamber was and you didn't think that was odd," I said.

"I thought it was a joke name for the break room or the boss's office," Donna said weakly.

"And the Doctor? What'd you think when they brought him in here?"

"It was at night, it must have been at night because I've never seen him until now," Donna said.

"They did bring us here during the night," the Doctor said to me. "So we can't fault her for not knowing I was here."

"But what about this…Argelion Regime or whatever it is," I said.

"The what?" Donna said.

"They don't call themselves that," the Doctor said to me. "I found out about them but they've been working in secret and infiltrating the government. There was a terrorist attack recently, wasn't there?" he said to Donna.

"Yeah," Donna said. "A bomb exploded on two of the tube platforms during rush hour and killed about a hundred people. Then several buses were blown up by suicide bombers. The government said they were posting guards everywhere for everyone's protection until the terrorists were found and they've been on the street and in a lot of buildings including this one. They told me that this place kept top secret documents so I assumed they were keeping watch in case terrorists decided to nick them."

"I'm afraid it's been a lie, Donna. This Argelion Regime is from another planet. I don't know who they are yet, but I know they're not from Earth."

"So what can I do to help?" Donna said, glancing at me before turning her focus back on the Doctor.

The Doctor grinned.

"You can be brilliant like always," the Doctor said. "So you have no clue where any prison cells might be in here?"

Donna shook her head.

"Then we'll have to find someone…Rose, I think we might have to speak to Jack again," he said to me.

"But he won't help, he wants to kill us," I said.

"I might be able to momentarily block what they've done and allow his old personality to emerge but it'll take time we don't have. But I don't have a choice. I don't want to arouse suspicion here. I think he'll still be unconscious so I'll tap into his unconscious mind and work with that. But enough talk. Come on, team, there's work to be done!"


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

The Doctor swiped his ident card and entered the torture chamber while Donna and me followed behind him. Donna's mouth dropped open when she saw what was inside.

"Honestly, I had no idea this was here," she said while I carefully shut the door behind us. "God, they tortured you?" she said to the Doctor.

"A bit. But I've had worse," the Doctor said, using Jack's keys to unlock the cell door. "You two keep watch while I talk to Jack."

We stood there in front of the open door while the Doctor knelt down to Jack. He was still unconscious. The Doctor put his fingers on Jack's temples and closed his eyes. While he was doing that, I looked at Donna. So far she seemed to be alright. She looked at me when I stared at her a bit too long.

"You okay? You're not dying?" I asked.

"I don't think so," she said, shaking her head. "Just feels weird though."

"How'd ya mean?"

"I know I did things with him and traveled with him," Donna said, pointing to the Doctor. "But I can't remember what I did. I know who he is and I know I traveled with him but that's all."

"That's because I didn't want to give you too much information," the Doctor said while he kept his eyes closed. "I'm risking your life just by allowing you to remember me at all. And tell me if you do feel funny."

"I will," Donna said in an annoyed tone of voice. "I don't wanna burn up if that's what you're worried about."

Her face fell.

"Suppose that means I'll have to give up these memories after we're done here," she said softly. "I'll have to go back to forgetting him and living a life I don't want rather than travel the stars. You told me I was gonna die and now I know what it means."

"I…did?" I said.

"Yeah, remember? We were in the alternate universe and…"

"She's not from our universe, Donna," the Doctor said, opening his eyes and looking at her. "From what I can deduce, this universe is running ahead of hers. Apparently, I'm still in my previous body."

"As far as I know, you are," I said. "I haven't seen you since CanaryWharf. For all I know you regenerated."

"Well, if the timelines are similar, I am in my previous body in your universe," the Doctor said before turning his attention back to Jack.

I was glad to hear that since I wasn't sure if the Doctor would regenerate into the man before me if he did change. Plus, I loved his tenth body, although this body was beginning to grow on me. We fell silent and watched while he dealt with Jack.

"Jack, can you hear me?" the Doctor said with eyes shut.

Donna and I came into the cell and stood by the side wall, watching while Jack stirred and regained consciousness, although his eyes were still closed.

"Doctor? Is that you?" Jack said softly.

"It's me, old friend," the Doctor said, his eyes also shut.

"Where am I?" Jack said.

"In prison. You've been brainwashed and I don't have time to fix that for the moment. But I released enough of your subconscious mind so I can communicate with you. The people that came here with me, Amy Pond, Rory Williams and River Song. Where are they being held?"

"Cell block B," Jack murmured, his eyes still shut.

"Where is that?" the Doctor said.

"Near the back of the prison," Jack said.

"Can you bring up a memory of it so I can download it into my mind?" the Doctor said.

He fell silent and I assumed Jack was bringing up the memory since the Doctor didn't ask him to do that again. After five minutes, the Doctor spoke and thanked Jack for the information. He then told him he was going to put him back to sleep.

"You are going to help me, aren't you?" Jack said in a worried tone of voice.

"Of course I will. But what they've done takes time and I don't have it. I'm supposed to be executed in less than an hour but I will come back and save you, I promise."

"Good. Because I don't want to hurt you anymore," Jack murmured.

"I know you don't. Now sleep, Jack."

The Doctor fell silent again and Jack's body stopped moving and his breathing deepened. Two minutes later, the Doctor opened his eyes and looked at us.

"He's sleeping," the Doctor said. "I put him in a very deep sleep so he won't wake up and hunt us. Hopefully, no one will bother him."

"He can't wake up?" Donna said.

"Not now. I'll have to wake him up which means I'll have to survive all this or he sleeps forever," the Doctor said.

"So he's in a coma then," Donna said.

"Yes. But that ensures he won't be up chasing us. Jack isn't stupid. He knows how to hunt people and we don't need him breathing down our necks. But enough talk, I know where Cell Block B is. So let's go and get the others and get out of here before I end up boiled like an egg."

"So you're taking me with you then?" Donna said.

"Unless you wanna stay here and temp for fascist aliens," the Doctor teased.

"No! I wanna go with you!" Donna said emphatically while the Doctor chuckled.

We walked out of the cell and he shut the door behind us. We put our sunglasses and helmets back on before going out. Donna walked with us, pretending to escort us somewhere while the Doctor led us to Cell Block B. On the way though, I could see some commotion and I realized that the women I knocked out were now back inside the prison telling everyone about me. The Doctor paused for a moment near one of the women, standing in the background and listening while she told a black man what happened to her. He led us on after getting the gist of what she was saying.

"So…now we know where you found your outfit," the Doctor said while we walked down a corridor.

"Yeah, I was hoping I would be in and out before she came back," I said, glancing nervously over my shoulder.

We turned and corner and ran into another guard. The guard looked us over and looked at our ident cards. I realized that he might have known what happened and he was making sure we weren't imposters. He read the Doctor's ident card.

"Harkness?" he said to the Doctor.

"Yes?"

I was amazed by how accurate the Doctor's imitation of Jack's voice was.

"We have to check to verify identities. Apparently two of the female guards were rendered unconscious near the prison and a uniform was stolen."

By now I was trying to move behind the Doctor and unclip the ident card from my shirt. The guard noticed me and started to move past the Doctor when Donna stepped around me, blocking his way.

"We're in a hurry, mate, so move it!" she said to him.

"Where are you going in such a hurry, temp?" the guard said in a condescending tone of voice.

"We're going to get the other prisoners so they can be executed along with the Time Lord," Donna said, matching his condescension. "We were ordered to escort them to the torture chamber. These people have been identified so move!"

I held my breath while the guard and Donna locked eyes in a standoff. I could see the Doctor balling up his fist, ready to punch the guard if he tried to force his way past Donna.

"Did you hear me? I said…move it!" Donna growled at the guard. "We're in a hurry and you're taking up valuable time!"

The guard stared at her for a moment more and then looked at me and the Doctor and snorted.

"Little Miss Temp, thinks she's somebody special just because she works here," he muttered as he moved past us and went around the corner.

I breathed a sigh of relief while Donna turned and flashed him the vees with a smug look on her face.

"Well done, Donna," the Doctor said. "Bravo!"

"Thank you," Donna said, nodding. "Just gotta know how to deal with people like Mister Jobsworth. Now…shall we?"

The Doctor patted her shoulder and nodded to me before we hurried on to Cell Block B.


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

It was a bit dicey but we managed to make it back to the cell block without being nabbed by the other guards. Although the Doctor was a bit worried that we wouldn't be so lucky once we found the others. Donna and I kept a look out for any signs of trouble and the Doctor kept his eyes on Donna, repeatedly asking her if she was alright until Donna grew irritated and told him in a tetchy way that she'd inform him if her head was exploding. I actually like her, she's a gutsy woman and she's not intimidated by the Doctor. No wonder he chose her to travel with him.

When we got to the corridor of Cell Block B, it was different to the others. The other passageways had been the sort of walls you might find in a home or office but here, these walls were made of steel as well as the doors. I suppose it was to prevent someone going through the walls and escaping. The steel walls made the corridor even more unwelcoming than the rest of the building and I wondered if they were there to muffle any sounds as well.

The Doctor led us to the end of the corridor. There were two doors on both sides of the passageway, both of them made of thick steel with a slot in the door with a steel covering that you could slide back and look through. The Doctor slid it back and peered in. He shook his head.

"Too dark, I can't see anything," he said.

He tried Jack's keys but none of them would work. He cursed softly and shook his head.

"I need my sonic but I don't know where my clothes are," he said.

"Here, try this," I said, handing him my sonic.

He took it and examined it.

"You built this?" he said.

"Torchwood did," I said.

He snorted at that but he aimed my device at the lock and grinned when he heard a click.

"Well, at least in this case, Torchwood did something useful," he said before he opened the door.

I followed everyone inside and again the smell of old piss and mildew and feces hit my nose. I put my hand over it while the Doctor called out and told whoever was inside that he was the Doctor.

"Doctor?"

I heard a man's voice call back to him. He sounded weak and I could see from the light coming from the open door that the Doctor looked worried. Only the front part of the cell was lit by the outside light. The man was in the darkness.

"Rory?" the Doctor said, moving slowly into the darkened part of the cell. "Is Amy and River here?"

"No," Rory said weakly. "I don't know where they are."

Donna and I stood in the light, listening while the Doctor told Rory he was here and he would help him and find the others. He asked Rory if he was hurt and Rory told him that he'd been beaten and was hurting all over. We heard the Doctor tell Rory he was going to help him to his feet and then we heard Rory groan loudly. The Doctor walked him back into the light and we gasped when we saw him. Unlike the Doctor, both eyes were swollen until they were nearly shut and his face and arms had multiple bruises on them. Dried blood was under his left nostril in a line down to his lip. His hair was matted and dirty with bits of straw in it. Rory tried to focus on us while I walked over to Rory's unattended side and helped steady him. Donna stared at Rory with horror and disgust.

"Why did they do this to you?" Donna said to Rory.

"Because I'm with him," Rory murmured, indicating the Doctor with his head. "They think he's a spy or a rebel or something and my wife and daughter and me are guilty by association."

"We were investigating this Argelion Regime lot before they caught us. That's why they want to execute us," the Doctor said.

Rory looked at me and Donna.

"Are you with them?" Rory said to me.

"You mean with the Argelion Regime?" I said.

"Yeah."

"No, I traveled with him and so did Donna," I said.

"You found more of your friends? That's nice," Rory said to the Doctor.

"Actually, I have another friend that's been brainwashed by this lot," the Doctor said. "I had to leave him in my cell for the moment, he's too far gone to help us. Can you walk, mate?"

"I'll try," Rory said.

"Here, we'll help him, you need your hands free," Donna said.

The Doctor smiled and nodded. He transferred his side to her and we helped him to walk while the Doctor looked out the door. He must have seen it was all clear because he went outside and walked across the passageway to the other door. I could tell that Rory was trying to push himself to walk so he wouldn't be a burden on us but it was causing him great pain to exert himself and I finally told him to take it easy.

"I can't," Rory said, shaking his head while the Doctor used my sonic to open the other door. "I can't be a handicap like this. You lot need to defend yourselves."

"You won't be much use if you injure yourself further," Donna said. "Just relax. If someone comes, we'll let you sit and take care of them."

I could tell Rory didn't like hearing that but he nodded and walked with us while we followed the Doctor inside the cell. This one was also half dark and the Doctor announced his presence. We heard an older woman's voice call out to him.

"River, are you alright?" the Doctor said, walking into the darkness of the cell. "Is Amy here?"

"No, they took her somewhere," River said. "Are you alright, my love?"

I froze when she said that and listened. The Doctor was quiet for a moment before telling her he was fine but to me it seemed like he was hesitating before answering her. My heart tore just a little but I reminded myself that this wasn't my Doctor and in this universe perhaps he found someone else to love besides me. I still couldn't help but feel anger at someone else loving him the way I did but I kept my emotions in check and hidden since now was not the time to get emotional. When the Doctor brought River into the light, I noticed that she was older than I was and wasn't as roughed up as Rory was. She also could walk under her own power and she walked over to Rory and stared at him in anguish.

"Dad, are you alright?" she said.

Dad? She was older than he was! Her mother must fancy very young men apparently. Rory tried to tell her he was alright but he looked far from it and River knew it. She looked at me and Donna and asked who we were.

"River Song, this is Donna Noble and Rose Tyler," the Doctor said.

River didn't show any recognition for either of us. Which didn't surprise me since I didn't know about Sarah Jane until I met her. Apparently Sarah Jane isn't the only companion the Doctor neglects to mention to others. River said hello to us before turning her attention back to Rory.

"Do you know where mum is?" she said to him.

"No, I don't know where she is," Rory murmured, shaking his head. "I was knocked unconscious before they put me in that cell. I had no idea what happened to any of you."

"Do you know where she is?" River said to the Doctor.

"Yes, Jack told me she was down this passageway," the Doctor said.

"Jack?" River said.

"Another old friend. We have to go back and get him but for now, we need to get Amy and find a way to get out of here. It's almost time for my execution and the guards are already on edge since Rose knocked out two guards to get a hold of one of the uniforms. They're searching for us so we don't have time to dilly dally now."

"Let me help my father then," River said to me. "You help the Doctor."

I nodded and transferred Rory to her. I kept silent about hearing her call the Doctor "My love," since he was correct about time running out. I and everyone else followed him out the door while we went down the corridor to find Amy.


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

The Doctor stopped at a door at the front of the passageway.

"I think this is it," the Doctor said before using my sonic on the door.

The door unlocked and the Doctor slowly opened it and went inside. We started to follow him when we suddenly heard the sound of a scuffle and the Doctor yelling for us to run. We looked at each other and tried to run but several guards poured out of the room and aimed their guns at us. There were seven of them and they were blocking the way out so there was no choice except to surrender.

"Where's my mother?" River said to them.

One of the guards, a young Asian man, walked up to her.

"You mean the ginger that was inside here?" he said with a heavy Chinese accent. "We found out what you were doing and went inside the room before you lot came out. We sedated her and took her to a holding cell. You, all of you and her will die along with the Time Lord. Guards, restrain them."

The guards quickly surrounded us. We couldn't do much to defend ourselves, especially since Rory was severely injured. One of the guards, a young female with short dark hair, smirked at Rory and punched him as hard as she could in the stomach. Rory grunted and his feet gave out. I glared at the woman while she laughed viciously in our faces. Two of the guards forced Rory to his feet and Asian Man commanded us to follow them. As we went past, I looked inside Amy's cell and saw the Doctor surrounded by about six more guards. We locked eyes for a moment and he gave me a smile and a wink before I moved past.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

We're in a holding cell with Amy Pond awaiting our execution. I finally got to meet the woman and she's just as young as Rory is. So is River adopted then because they must have been fetuses when they had her.

Rory is in a bad way right now. He's lying on the straw in pain while his wife and daughter try to help him. Other than that, it's only me because Donna managed to talk her way out of this. She told them that we took her hostage and forced her to cooperate or else she'd die. When the guards weren't looking though, she winked at me so I realized that she did that so someone from our group was still free to help us from the outside. We haven't heard from the Doctor. No idea where they took him but I'm sure he's probably on the other side of the building and under heavy guard right now. No way are they gonna let him escape again.

The execution has been moved up one hour since they now have to compensate for all of us being there. I suppose they'll boil us alive one by one and make everyone watch while they wait their turn.

I pace around the steel room, trying to think of a solution. I wonder what the Doctor would do at the moment and try to think like he does but my mind keeps wandering and I imagine myself being boiled alive. I look over at Rory when I hear him groan and walk over that way.

"Will he be alright?" I ask them.

"He's in pain at the moment," River said. "I wish I had some medicine for him but there's nothing we can give him."

I look at Amy. Amy was also roughed up but she and River seemed to escape the worst of it. Maybe Rory resisted or maybe they felt the need to rough the men up a bit more since they're men. So far they haven't done anything to me but I'm sure Blondie will be back in here eventually with her fists ready for my face. Her and that black girl probably love that I'm about to be cooked to death.

The door opens and River and Amy stand up, shielding Rory with their bodies. In walks Blondie and I'm right, the first thing she does is hit me in the face. I'm still wearing her uniform so she went and got a spare one apparently since she's dressed like she was before. River and Amy come up beside me and Blondie chuckles.

"Rescue attempt didn't work the way you hoped, did it?" Blondie sneers at me while I rub my aching jaw. "And now you're going to end up dying with the rest of these worthless traitors."

"Where's the Doctor?" I said.

"The Time Lord? He's in another cell far away from this one so don't get your hopes up about sneaking out and rescuing him," Blondie gloated. "Guards are surrounding his cell from every side and there's no chance of him getting out undetected. And the same goes for you lot, so don't even try to break out of here."

"You do realize that the people you're serving aren't even from Earth, right?" River said to her. "They brainwashed you and your fellow humans and you're nothing but puppets to them now. The man you're trying to kill is the one who can help everyone!"

"No, he's the alien threat," Blondie said. "He's a danger and a menace to this planet and he needs to be put to death and anyone who sides with him should also die."

"You're a fool," River said. "In the end they'll turn on you and everyone else and destroy this planet. The Doctor is our only hope."

"Yeah, sure he is," Blondie said.

"Forget about it, River. She's been brainwashed too well," Amy said. "She only thinks what they want her to think."

"Oh really? It ever occur to you lot that this "Doctor" brainwashed all of you and you're thinking what he wants you to think?" she countered. "What if you're the puppets under his control?"

"Well, if we are, at least we get to travel around the universe while you're stuck on Earth in a low paying job as a thug for the government," Amy said.

Blondie snorted. She told us we had twenty minutes left before the guards returned to take us out to Trafalgar Square so we better say goodbye to each other and say our prayers. Then she left and shut the door behind it. We listened to the door being locked and waited a moment before speaking.

"So now what do we do?" Amy said.

"Pretend to submit and find a weakness," River said. "If we act timid and beg for our lives, maybe that'll lull them into a false sense of security."

"Maybe try to get their guns away from them?" I offered.

River nodded.

"The Doctor wouldn't approve of that but I'm not going to be boiled alive for this lot. If it means using force to get us out of this situation, I'm going to do it."

"What about Rory?" Amy said, gesturing to him. "He can barely stand."

"You lot worry about yourselves and I'll worry about me," Rory said. "You need to concentrate on the situation. I'll be alright; I've had worse happen to me."

"Maybe Donna is coming up with a solution," I said. "Maybe she'll smuggle us some weapons."

"Are you sure she's on our side?" River said.

I nodded. I would have done the same in her position and I know from the wink and the smile she gave me that she wasn't betraying us and I said as much to them.

When it was nearly time to go, Rory got up from the floor and came over to us. He hugged his wife and daughter and then to my surprise, gave me a hug as well.

"Nice knowing you if we don't make it out alive," Rory said as he hugged me. "You seem like a nice woman and any friend of the Doctor is a friend of mine. I just wish I could have met you in better circumstances."

I thanked him and he stepped back. Amy hugged me and said much the same and then River hugged me as well. I wanted to ask her so many questions about her and the Doctor and why she was so much older than her parents. But before I could say anything, the door opened and Blondie came in followed by ten guards. She smirked at us as River quickly stepped back from me.

"Aw, how sweet, you're hugging," Blondie said. "That's nice that you're having your goodbyes before you go. And now that you've said goodbye, you will follow us and we'll take you to your execution."


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

We were blindfolded and hooded and escorted out of the building. I couldn't see anything so I had to rely on others to guide me. I could hear Rory groaning in pain and a couple of the male guards taunting him and telling him to keep up with us. It took about twenty minutes to get us outside. When we left the building, I heard an engine starting up in front of us and the sound of someone sliding open a door. We were stopped and someone helped me step up into what I figured was a people carrier. One of the guards stepped inside after me and forced me to sit down. I was sitting on the far side and he sat down next to me. Then I felt a gun pressed against my temple.

"Don't think I won't use this on you, ducky," a gruff voice said to me. "Just behave and things'll go easy on ya."

I relaxed for the moment and didn't put up a fight, remembering River's advice to make them think we were giving up. I decided to try a bit of the acting scared and helpless on my guard.

"Please," I said, trying to sound pathetic to him. "Please, I have money. I'll pay you anything if you just let me go!"

"I heard Amy on the other side of the guard join in, pleading for mercy and saying she'd pay to be released. This made the guards laugh and the guard beside me pressed his gun up against my temple.

"Beg harder and maybe I'll consider it," he purred.

"Please let me go," I said, faking a small, scared voice. "I don't wanna die."

I stiffened when I felt the guard's hand on my knee.

"You're right, it'd be a shame to kill such a good looking girl," the guard purred as he rubbed my upper leg. "And well fit too. What would you give me in exchange for your life, eh?"

"I knew what he was on about and I would poke my eyes out before I serviced him in any way.

"Mmm, yeah, you're a right bit of crumpet, you are," the guard purred. "Seems a shame to do you in when you could be so useful to me."

I fell silent in case the idiot went too far and I ended up being raped. I figured that would shut him up if I didn't say anything but he reached under the hood and tickled my chin.

"Yeah, I could use someone like you," he said and I could only imagine the leer on his face, "little bit of a shag, eh? In exchange for your life?"

"Knock it off, Bradley," another guard said and I breathed a silent sigh of relief when he took his hand and the gun away.

"You're not fun, Jimmy," Bradley said while I relaxed.

I realized I would have to be careful with the begging and pleading before I landed up a rape victim. Everyone else got inside and they were about to close the door when I suddenly heard Donna calling out for them to stop.

"Wait, I wanna go with you," I heard her say.

"What for?" Bradley said.

"Because I want to watch them die, those bastards nearly killed me," Donna said.

"Ain't ya s'posed to be working, luvvy?" Jimmy said.

"I was given permission by the governor to come and watch the execution. So button it and let me inside, Rambo."

I smirked at that and listened. No one said anything for a few moments until Bradley grudgingly told her to get inside. My spirits rose. Maybe Donna had a plan in mind now. The door was closed after her and I sat quietly while we pulled away from the prison. It wasn't a very long drive to Trafalgar Square but on the way I could hear muffled voices crying out for our blood and even a few thumps along the sides when things were thrown at the car. From the sound of the crowd, there were many and they sounded hostile. The crowds grew louder as we turned the corner and then the car was stopped and there was only the angry crowd to listen to along with the thump of thrown things on the sides of the people carrier.

"Stop it or you'll land up in the cauldron with them!" the driver shouted to the crowd after rolling down his window.

The crowd noise lessened but didn't cease as the side door was opened and one by one we were pulled out of the car. I feel something hitting my head and I stagger back, dazed. It didn't feel like a rock, maybe food?

"Knock it off!" Bradley screamed at the jeering crowd. "Anyone throws something and they end up in the cauldron. Is that clear?"

Apparently, the crowd knew he wasn't joking because nothing else was thrown at me while we were led through them to what I supposed was the execution platform. With the hood and blindfold on, I was a bit disorientated and I wondered if we were being led around in a circle since the guards were snickering. Then again, maybe they were just loving the fact that they were going to watch five people boil alive in a few minutes. They finally led us up the stairs and made us kneel on something soft, like a pillow I think. Damn this hood and blindfold, I wish I could see!

Then I got my wish and I felt the hood being lifted off my head and a moment later the blindfold was loosened and slid away from my face. I blinked when the bright sun hit my eyes and I could see that the benches around the platform were all filled up with jeering spectators with more people standing in front of them, in the spaces between them and lining the pavement outside. I could see the huge monitors were filming us and several people were dividing their time between watching it and watching us. I could well imagine that this is how it used to be when they executed prisoners publically. All the ghoulish people standing around and baying for our blood and telling the guards to hurry it up. Looking at them, I wonder why the Doctor bothers with the human race at all. Speaking of him, I can't see him anywhere. We are kneeling on large grey cushions, the four of us side by side on the edge of the platform. Providing cushions for us, how thoughtful that they're thinking of our comfort before they boil us in oil.

I look around and notice that Donna is standing in the midst of the guards off to my life. She catches my eye and winks again and my hopes are raised a bit more. Then the crowd cheers off to my right and I turn my head and watch while five burly guards bring in a large black cauldron. The cauldron sorta looks like the stereotypical kind that witches used and it's wide enough to put someone into it. I thought for a moment it was empty until they sat it down in the center of the platform. Then one guard comes up, dips a ladle into it, holds it up above the cauldron and cooking oil slowly oozes back into the kettle while the crowd cheers its approval. I look around again, still no sign of the Doctor and Donna is still watching from the sidelines. Then another cheer goes up and I turn my head to the right and watch while two guards bring in armloads of firewood followed by another guard who had a flaming torch in his hand. They march up the steps, spread the firewood around the cauldron, use the ladle to pour a bit of the oil onto the wood and the man with the torch sets it alight. Then they leave the stage and some of the guards who had been standing with Donna come up onto the platform and stand in back of us, keeping watch over us while the crowd yells at them to throw us in.

Then another cheer goes up and my heart goes into my throat when off to the right, the guards that brought in the wood and cauldron now bring in the Doctor.


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

The Doctor never changes in some ways. Ever since I've known him, the man can walk into extreme danger and be unfazed. And he's true to form now. The Doctor's surrounded by guards but from his expression, he looks like he's actually enjoying this. Which knowing him, he probably is. He even waves to the crowd while they boo and jeer him. Yup, he's definitely the same man.

"Hello, everyone!" the Doctor said when they reached the bubbling cauldron. "Nice day today, isn't it? I'm sure all of you are dressed in your Sunday best just so you can watch little ole me get boiled alive!"

The crowd booed him and called for the guards to put him into the cauldron.

"Now, now, now," the Doctor said. "Surely you want to prolong the agony, right? Want me to give you a bit of a show before I die?"

"Be silent!" one of the guards said as he stood beside him.

"Be silent? Don't you want me to beg for mercy?" the Doctor said to him. "Don't you want me to blubber and cry and soil myself? Wouldn't that be ideal since people can taunt and boo and bay for my blood some more?"

The crowd suddenly fell silent and even the Doctor was confused by it until the guards surrounding the steps on the west side parted to let a woman through. I'd been so busy watching the Doctor that I didn't realize a limo had pulled up on the outskirts of the square. The woman was flanked by several guards but these guards were dressed in white. The woman was also dressed in a long white gown with a white frockcoat over it. She wore a large gold chain around her neck that stood out against all the white. Even her skin and hair was white and I thought she'd done that to blend in with her outfit but then I noticed her pale pink eyes and realized she was an albino. The woman was tall and slender and statuesque and she had a smirk on her face that most of the guards shared with her. The Doctor smiled warmly when the guards parted and she strode up to him. He extended his hand but she looked at it with disdain and folded her arms across her chest.

"So this is the Time Lord," she said with a posh accent.

"Yes, and this must be…" the Doctor said.

The woman studied him for a moment. I think she was looking for signs of fear or weakness and then she snorted when she couldn't find any."

"Marbella," she finally said, her nose going so high up in the hair you could count the bloody bogies in it.

"Ah, yes. The woman in charge of the so-called Argelion Regime," the Doctor said.

Marbella smirked.

"There's no such regime, Doctor. I am the Prime Minster for the UK and you are just a terrorist!" she proclaimed loudly.

I rolled her eyes while the crowd cheered that. The Doctor held up his hand for silence and amazingly, the crowd shut up. I s'pose they were eager to hear what he had to say.

"Londoners, this woman has deceived you," the Doctor said loudly. "She is not doing things in your best interest; she's part of an alien invasion that plans to take over the world!"

Marbella chuckled when the crowd laughed at that.

"You didn't really think that was going to work, did you?" she said to him.

"Well, I always say, give it a try and you might be surprised," the Doctor replied with a shrug. "Tell me though, how did you do it? Are you hypnotizing everyone with subliminal messages of obedience? Because if you are, I have an old enemy that beat you to it a few years ago."

"I grow tired of your stupidity. Put him in!" Marbella says, pointing to the cauldron.

"Wait a tick, just a tiny tick! Do you realize how messy this will be? I mean, I'll be writhing in agony and sloshing oil everywhere. Do you really want to clean that up? Not to mention you and your hired thugs will be sliding all over the place. And you might fall and crack your heads open and then where will you be?"

"Put him in!" Marbella ordered.

"Wait a minute!"

Everyone looked at Donna when she yelled that and pushed past the guards, stomping up onto the stage. No one said a word, eager to see what would happen next while Donna walked up to the guards surrounding the Doctor. She stopped at one guard and glared at him when the guard turned to look at her.

"Wanna let me by, mate?" she said to him.

The guard looked at Marbella for orders. Marbella sighed and nodded and the guard stepped aside. Donna walked up to the Doctor who was watching her with silent interest. Then suddenly Donna slapped the Doctor hard in the face and the Doctor reeled back in shock.

"That's for kidnapping me!" Donna yelled at him while the Doctor held his cheek and stared at her in shock. "You oughta be ashamed of yourself! You naughty person! Do you know who I am?"

"Donna Noble?" the Doctor said tentatively.

"Too right! I am Donna Noble, supertemp!" she said imperiously as she stepped between him and Marbella. "I am one of the best damn temps there ever was and you should feel privileged to know me!"

She stuck her chin up in the air and I could tell the Doctor was trying not to laugh.

"And you lot," Donna said, pointing to the guards, "where were you when I needed help, eh?"

"Is this going somewhere?" Marbella said, annoyed.

"Yes, this is going somewhere!" Donna spun around and yelled with such ferocity that Marbella actually backed up a few steps. "I didn't sign up to work for your company so I could get kidnapped. I want a salary increase plus more benefits plus more holiday time so I can go to the Bahamas and get a nice tan. Incidentally, you could use a tan yourself, love," she said, looking Marbella over. "But anyway, those are my demands!"

"Get her off the platform," Marbella said to the guards.

But before anyone could act, Donna had sprinted behind Marbella, grabbed her and held her with one arm while the free hand whipped out a gun from her pocket and put it under her chin.

"Let the Doctor go before I blow your brains out," Donna said in Marbella's ear.


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

You coulda heard a pin drop. All around us, eyes were fixed on Donna and everyone was giving her their full attention while she held the gun under Marbella's chin. Donna looked smugly at the crowd.

"What's wrong?" she yelled. "You lot wanted to see someone die, didn't ya? You cheered when it was gonna be the Doctor's neck so why aren't you cheering now?"

I felt a tap on my shoulder and looked over at River. She leaned in close and whispered in my ear.

"Count of three, you, me and Amy run to the fire and grab some of the wood. We can use the torches to get everyone away from the Doctor," she whispered.

I nodded and tensed my muscles, readying myself to leap up and run to the fire. The guards and everyone else were too busy watching Donna so it was a total surprise when River counted three and the three of us leapt up and ran around the guards to the cauldron. I saw a piece of wood sticking out and grabbed it while Amy and River did the same. The fire wasn't burning very well on the other end until I quickly dipped the tip in the oil and put it back down in the fire again. Then the tip erupted in flame and I turned around. By now, River and Amy were menacing the guards with their torches and I joined in. I could see the Doctor was enjoying our rescue and when I looked at the crowd, I noticed that they were watching us as well. I thought for a moment maybe all of them were in shock before I figured that they probably just liked the show we were putting on.

While we held off the guards, the Doctor used the distraction to move in close to Marbella. I noticed a guard tried to go for Rory but Amy saw him as well and quickly stepped in front of him, fending him off with the burning torch.

"Aren't they brilliant?" I heard the Doctor say to Marbella. "Good help is so hard to find nowadays, don't you think?"

"You won't get away with this, Time Lord!" Marbella growled at him.

"Aw, come on, you can think of something more original than that!" the Doctor said, rolling his eyes. "Might as well say you'll never escape here alive or I will see you dead or something like that."

I turned my attention back to the guards on the sides of the platform who were now swarming up onto the steps after getting over their initial shock. I felt River come up beside me.

"Let's knock the cauldron over," she said to me. "The burning oil should be deterrent enough."

I nodded and we ran to it. We tried kicking it with our feet but the cauldron barely budged. We only succeeded in sloshing some of the oil over the side and we had to back away when some of the fire blazed up. River grabbed the end of a log on our side and threw it at several guards. They backed up for a moment but then stepped around it and kept on coming.

"I know the Doctor doesn't like guns but…" River muttered before she ran to one of the guards surrounding the Doctor.

She elbowed him in the face and took his gun from his holster. She then raised the gun up and shot into the sky, momentarily stopping the guards. Donna did the same thing before putting the gun back under Marbella's chin. The Doctor ordered the guards to back up or else and River fired into the sky again when they hesitated.

"Tell the guards to back away or you die," the Doctor growled at Marbella.

"Do as he says," Marbella said loudly.

I looked at the crowd surrounding the platform while the guards slowly left it and noticed they were still watching intently. Perhaps they've never seen prisoners fight back before. But whatever the reason, I was glad they were staying put. Donna kept her gun under Marbella's neck while the Doctor stood beside her. Amy stood near Rory, keeping him safe while he watched us. He still looked so weak and I knew the Doctor needed to get him back to the TARDIS. River was walking around the platform, gun in one hand and torch in the other, looking at all the guards who were now glaring at her from the sidelines.

"Rose?"

I looked at the Doctor when he called my name and he beckoned to me. He told River and Donna to keep an eye on Marbella for a moment while he guided me over towards Amy and Rory.

"That dimension cannon thing. Is there a way to go back to your universe?" he said softly to me.

"Yeah, I have a remote control that activates it and it takes me back," I said.

"Can it carry other people?"

I nodded and told them as long as they were touching me, it could.

"Can you come back to this universe or is it a random thing?" he asked.

"No, the cannon keeps the coordinates of each universe when we use it so I can save the coordinates and use them again," I said.

"Good. I need you to take Rory back to your Torchwood and see if you can mend him," the Doctor said. "I can't get to the TARDIS right now and he's a liability at the moment. He can't fight back and I need Amy. Can you take him back and have someone mend him for me?"

"What about you? What about all this?" I said, looking around.

The Doctor chuckled.

"Come on, Tyler, you know me better than that. This is easy peasy for me," he said. "I just need you to get Rory out of here and walking through the guards is too risky. Will you do that for me?"

"Do you want me to come back after Rory is in the medbay?" I asked.

The Doctor hesitated.

"Um…well, I don't know if you should leave him alone in Torchwood like that. I don't trust them that well. Can you give me the coordinates of your universe? Do you have the remote with you?"

I nodded and reached into my trouser pocket. I pulled out a little white device that sorta resembled an old Gameboy. It had a tiny monitor on it along with a keypad. The monitor displayed the coordinates for my old universe and the coordinates for whichever universe I landed in. I explained it to the Doctor and he nodded and told me he memorized both coordinates while he gave it back to me.

"We'll finish up here and use the TARDIS to cross the void and get Rory," he said to her. "Rory, go with Rose and see a whole new universe, should be fun!"

He kissed me on the cheek and thanked me for doing this while Amy helped Rory to stand up. Rory put his arm around my neck while I inputted a command to return to home base. I put my free arm around Rory's waist before I hit the enter button. I smiled at the Doctor before Rory and I faded away and began our journey back to Torchwood.


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

There was a flash and that sense of disorientation when I landed back on the platform inside the dimension cannon lab. I checked to make sure Rory was at my side before I looked over at Ben, the man in charge of operating the dimension cannon. He's about my age and a few inches over my height. He's an Indian man who is extremely brilliant. But he's also my best mate and knows how to have a good time outside of work. He's one of the few I trust with my life inside here so I personally asked him to be in charge of sending me out. Ben put his wire rimmed spectacles on and looked at Rory with a confused look on his face while Rory leaned on me.

"This is the Doctor?" he said with a slight accent.

"No, I found the wrong Doctor," I said, slowly helping Rory off the platform. "This is Rory, one of his companions. He's badly injured and needs medical attention."

"The wrong Doctor?" Ben said. "You mean there's more than one?"

"Apparently so," I said. "I gotta get back because he needs me."

"I thought the Doctor told you to look after me," Rory said, looking at me.

"He says that all the time. No one will harm you here. Ben will make sure of that. The Doctor needs all the help he can get and I'm not sitting here while he fights that albino bitch," I said. "Besides, your wife and daughter need help as well and I know how to fight alongside the Doctor. I'll make sure you're safe here but I'm going back."

Rory nodded.

"You're like Amy," he said as Ben walked over and supported his other side. "There's no talking you out of things once your mind is made up."

"No, there isn't," Rose said.

"But can you get back here once you leave?" Rory asked me. "Can the Doctor get here?"

"We have managed to bring Rose back each time she's gone out," Ben said to him. "We can do it again."

"How many times have you gone out then?" Rory asked me.

"Oh…about ten times now," I said. "I think, the universes sorta resemble each other so it's hard to know for sure now."

"And you're willing to risk your life to find your Doctor?" Rory asked.

"I am. Because the universe needs him now more than ever," I said.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

We took Rory to the med bay and helped him up onto one of the examination tables. He kept insisting he could help since he was a nurse but Ben told him it was out of the question. A young female nurse and a male doctor came in and examined him with alien tech while I waited to hear the diagnosis.

"He's been injured pretty badly," the doctor said to me when he finished examining him. "Mild concussion and a couple of cracked ribs. We could heal him and send him back if you want to wait."

"How long will it take?" I ask.

"About an hour, we have a machine that can heal the damage," the doctor said.

"Do you want to come back with me, Rory?" I asked him. "You can have a rest if you need to recover from your injuries."

"No. You said it yourself, you need all the help you can get. I'm strong enough to go back once these machines mend me. Let me go with you."

I nodded and told the doctor to heal him and let me know when they were finished. Ben tapped me on the shoulder while the doctor and nurse helped Rory lay down on the table and I turned to face him.

"Your father wants to speak with you as well," Ben said. "He's in his office."

"Alright, get the machine ready to take us back in the meantime."

Ben nodded. I glanced back at Rory before I walked out the door. My dad's office was two floors above this one so I got in the lift and headed up. When I found him, he was sitting behind his desk filling out some paperwork. I knocked on the open door since his attention was focused on doing that and he glanced up at me and smiled.

"Ben said you were back, how'd it go?" he asked as I came inside.

"I found the Doctor but it's not my Doctor," I said, sitting down in a leather chair in front of the desk. "I found an alternate Doctor. This Doctor is the eleventh Doctor and time is going faster than it is here."

"Ben said you didn't bring him back. Instead, you brought back a friend of his called Rory?"

"Yes. The Doctor and his friends were thrown in prison and beaten. Rory was severely injured so the Doctor asked me to bring him back here so he could be mended. The doctor said he could patch him up in an hour and both of us want to go back afterwards."

"But shouldn't you concentrate on finding the proper Doctor?" Pete said. "You keep saying that the timelines should be preserved and if this is a future Doctor…"

"I'm not bringing this Doctor back but I have to help him. He was in trouble and Rory and me want to go back and help him," I said.

"Do you think that's wise, Rose? What if you're not meant to interfere with his reality?" Dad said.

I thought about that for a moment. The Doctor might have sent me back here for that very reason but…I just couldn't leave him, not when Rory and me could go back and help. I had to take that chance and I told Dad that. Dad let out a weary sigh.

"Help him and return to us as quickly as you can," he said. "The universe is in danger and we need to concentrate on that. You do remember the stars going out, right?"

"I do. But to be honest, the Doctor did have the upper hand when I left. I just want to make sure it stays that way."

"Then I have something for you," Dad said, opening his desk drawer. "They made this for you. It's similar to the mobile the Doctor gave you. You can now ring Torchwood and let us know when you need to move. The barriers have faded enough that communication between the void is possible."

"Brilliant!" I said, taking the little black mobile from him.

"And if you're serious about helping the Doctor and helping him quickly, I suggest taking something from the armory to assist him," Dad said.

I nodded and gave him a hug.

"Just be careful, okay? Don't do anything to damage the timelines," Dad said as he hugged me.

"I won't, I promise," I said.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

While they were mending Rory, I went down to the armory. The armory contained all manner of alien tech that Torchwood had managed to procure over the years, by any means necessary. I knew that some of the tech had been taken by force and I didn't agree with that which is why I tried to get tech through negotiation during my time here. The last thing we needed was pissed off aliens making war with us. Especially since we didn't have a Doctor to protect us. I looked around and my eyes settled on a large metal gun with a leather shoulder strap. It was huge and looked heavy but when I picked it up, it was surprisingly light. I put the strap on my shoulder and walked around with it. Whatever species made this, they did a good job since I could barely feel the weight of it. I walked down the hall to the shooting range where people practiced using the tech. I spent about a half hour working with the gun, shooting at wooden dummies about thirty feet away from me. To my relief, the gun was also easy to operate and I could handle it with ease after about ten minutes of practice. By the time the practice session was over, I was shooting the heads off the dummies with no problem.

Then Ben rang me on the mobile and told me that Rory was mended and ready. I told him to meet me in the med bay and I put the strap back onto my shoulder and with the gun at my side, I walked out of the shooting range and headed for the lift.


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

I could tell Rory was feeling better when I entered the med bay. He was sitting up on the exam table chatting with everyone and there were no signs of bruising or injuries. He stopped talking when he saw me and stared at my gun.

"Wow, that is one big gun," he finally said.

"It's the biggest we have," I said. "I figure I can use it to intimidate everyone at least."

"Do you have any more of those?" Rory asked me.

"Not like this but we have more guns," I said.

"I want one," Rory said, sliding off the table.

"Are you well enough?" I asked.

"Yeah, I feel loads better, whatever they have, hospitals need it," Rory said.

Fat chance of them giving it up, I thought to myself.

I made sure Rory could walk and was well enough to join me before we made a quick trip back down to the armory. I could tell Rory was impressed with the selection of weapons. He selected a small, black laser blaster and the two of us headed back up to the dimension cannon room. By the time we got up there, Ben was waiting for us. I gave him the coordinates and he put them into the computer while Rory and I got back up on the platform. When he was finished, Ben wished us luck and started up the cannon.

"Will this make us feel wonky?" Rory asked as a white light started to surround us.

"For a moment but it wears off quickly," I said.

That's all I had time to say before the light intensified and we were reduced to atoms and teleported out of the building. We traveled across the void and reassembled on the other side. We were back at Trafalgar Square and it looked like all hell had broken loose there. The cauldron had been overturned and there was hot oil all over the platform. Luckily for us, we landed away from it but I shook off my disorientation and looked around. The crowds were gone and there were few people outside the boundaries of the square.

"Where is he?" Rory said, coming up beside me.

"Dunno. I hope they're alright," I said. "Are you feeling sorted now?"

"Yeah, the dizziness has passed," Rory said, nodding. "Should we go back to the prison? Maybe they've gone back there. They needed to sort out that Jack bloke before we left."

I nodded and pointed to a few people who had stopped to look at us. I waved to them and Rory and me started walking towards them. But they ran the moment they saw our guns. I sighed as I glanced down at mine.

"Perhaps I should have taken something that I could put in my pocket," I said to Rory.

"Look, the telly," Rory said, pointing to the monitor over the road from the square.

We quickly made our way to it and stopped to look at a news report. According to the newsreader, the Doctor was now back at the prison with Amy and River, holding Marbella hostage inside. They switched to a live feed outside the prison but apparently they couldn't get inside so had to be content with filming the front door. I heard a gasp behind us and turned to see a young black woman was staring at me and my gun in horror.

"Look, don't scream, yeah? We're here to help," I said quickly before she alerted the guards that Rory and me were here. "What's going on?"

"The terrorists have taken Marbella hostage. They're inside the prison," the black woman said. "Are you with them?"

"No, we're…going to liberate the prison," I lied.

"Yes, we're freelancers," Rory said. "We were hired by the government to capture the terrorists."

The woman relaxed and smiled.

"Good luck then, make sure they're punished," the woman said before walking away.

"We will," I said as I waved goodbye.

I turned to Rory and grinned.

"But I didn't say who we'd punish," I said to him while he smiled and nodded.

We looked around, making sure no guards were around before we headed towards the prison.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

I found out the reason why the guards were scarce when we reached the prison. There were loads of them surrounding the prison. Rory and I were standing in the alley where I knocked out the two female guards earlier. Rory shook his head when he saw all the guards stationed outside the front door. There was also a camera crew and a female reporter. She was speaking into a microphone while she stood in front of the alley, telling the viewers at home what was happening.

"I don't think they'll let us walk in," Rory said to me.

"No but…"

Rory watched while I pulled out my satnav scanner and my mobile. I nodded at Rory and he followed me as I walked farther into the alley. I called Ben and smiled when the call went through without any problem.

"What's wrong?" Ben asked.

"Can you get us inside a certain building if I get you the coordinates?" I said softly while I started at the satnav nitor.

"I think I can," Ben said. "We can lock on to the mobile and use that to move you around. Something else Research and Development came up with while you were out on holiday."

I snorted at that.

"This is hardly a holiday, Ben," I said, looking around. "But I can give you the coordinates of the prison. I just need you to get us inside it, can you do that?"

"I'll do my best, Rose," he said. "Just wait a tick while I lock on to you."

"Better take hold of my arm since they're locking on to me," I said to Rory before giving Ben the satnav coordinates. .

Rory nodded and grabbed my left arm while I waited for Ben to speak. I could hear him doing something while I waited and I prayed he would get us inside the building.

"I think I can do it," Ben said. "If not, I can bring you back here and send you back out again but I don't think that's necessary."

"Just do whatever you need to, we need to reach the Doctor," I said.

There was another long pause while I glanced around, praying no one would come into the alley and see us.

"Okay, I got it, I think," Ben finally said after five minutes. "I'm gonna try to move you remotely. Ring me back and let me know if it was successful."

I told him I would and ended the call. I put the satnav and mobile back in my pocket and told Rory to hold on to my arm. We waited a few minutes and I smiled when the bright light began to surround us again.

"I think it's working," I said to Rory before the light intensified and we both moved out of the alley.


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

The light faded and I instantly aimed my gun in case we landed near some guards but the corridor we landed in was empty and I breathed a sigh of relief while I looked around. Rory was next to me, shaking his head while he tried to get over the disorientation.

"So…we're inside?" he said to me.

"Think so. Blimey, they've been busy since I started, making all sorts of handy things," I said. "Now we have to find the Doctor. Do you have a way to contact him?" I asked Rory.

"Not really," Rory said, shaking his head.

"And I s'pose he doesn't carry a mobile," I muttered. "Well, I suppose we'll have to go and find him and hope we don't land up dead."

Rory nodded. We kept our guns ready to fire while we walked down the hallway. We stopped for a moment when we heard angry voices coming from somewhere in the building. We were trying to find out if one of the voices was the Doctor but all the voices were unfamiliar. I glanced at Rory and we kept moving, heading in the direction of the voices. Perhaps we could find out what was going on if we moved towards them. But when we turned the corner of the corridor, I ran straight into Jack. I gasped and aimed my gun at him.

"Whoa! I'm on your side again," Jack said, quickly holding up his hands. "Don't shoot…with your enormously big gun, please!"

"Jack?" I said, lowering the gun.

"Last time I checked. The Doctor fixed me," Jack said. "He said you took someone back to your universe?"

"Yeah, Rory," I said, nodding at him. "He's fine now and we came back."

Jack raised his eyebrow.

"Disobeying orders again," he said, amused.

"Don't I always?" I said before giving him a great big hug.

Jack grinned and kissed the top of my head. He looked at Rory and moved past me, opening his arms wide. Rory hesitated for a moment and then hugged him.

"So where's the Doctor then?" I asked him.

"He's with that albino bitch doing a bit of interrogating," Jack said, letting go of Rory.

I noticed with some amusement that Jack stayed very, very close to Rory which made Rory nervous. Jack glanced at him and gave him a charming smile.

"So, you and Amy are married?" he said to him.

"Yes, we are," Rory said quickly. "Where is she and River?"

"They're guarding the guards and Donna's with them. They're in the torture chamber, crammed into the cages. We rounded up all the ones inside the building and barricaded the doors. I've been patrolling the building, looking for any sign of entry and lo and behold, I find you two. How did you get in?"

"We teleported in," I said. "We didn't unlock any doors."

"Good. The Doctor made a big kerfuffle earlier and I think that scared most of the people outside. Plus, he threatened to kill that Marbella chick if she gets out of line. Dunno how long that'll last though. Eventually, they're gonna try something to get in here. Which is why I'm glad you brought a bigass gun with you. We're gonna need it."

"What about the voices?" I said. "Someone was shouting a few minutes ago."

"That was probably the guards. They've been doing that since we put them in the cells. Probably someone opened the door and you heard them briefly," Jack said with a shrug.

"What about the Doctor? Can you take us to him?" Rory asked.

"Are you sure you want to see him? He might say something about your disobedience," Jack said with a wink.

"We'll take our chances," I said, patting him on the shoulder.

"Follow me then," Jack said, putting his arms around our shoulders.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

He walked with us to the cell block and led us to the cells at the back. He told us to wait and knocked on the left cell door. He waited a moment and then the door opened and the Doctor stuck his head out.

"Yeah?" he said.

Jack said nothing and pointed to us. The Doctor looked at us and groaned.

"I shoulda known," he said.

"I took Rory back to Torchwood. He's mended now and we wanted to come back and assist…"

I trailed off because I could see the Doctor was staring at my gun. He glanced back over his shoulder, stepped outside and closed the door before walking over to me.

"Where did you get a Savlarian Widowmaker?" he said, pointing to the gun.

"Oh, is that what this is called?" I asked, looking down at him.

"You're using it and you don't even know what it is?" the Doctor said.

"I know it's a gun," I said, shrugging. "Who are the Savlarians then?"

"A very warlike and very tall race of aliens," the Doctor said. "They're about ten feet tall so this gun is like a revolver in their hands. Where did you get it?"

"Um…the Torchwood armory?" I said sheepishly.

"And what is in this armory of theirs, pray tell?" the Doctor said.

"Lots of things," Rory said. "Guns, spears, knives, swords. I got this from it," he said, holding out the blaster to him.

"Chelonian," the Doctor said, examining it. "If it's alien, it's ours? I assume the motto is the same as the other Torchwood then."

"They have many things and yes, I suppose the motto is still the same but since dad and I started working there we focus on negotiation and diplomacy rather than stealing."

"Good, keep it that way," the Doctor said. "So, you lot rushed back here to help me?"

"I didn't want you to be shorthanded," I said. "When we left, you were surrounded."

"Well, turns out Miss Marbella is a coward and very much protective of her body and her life and she ordered a surrender rather than fight us to the death," the Doctor said smugly. "Not to mention she knows who I really am and what I'm capable of, which helped immensely. We locked them up and I sorted Jack out before I decided to do a little interrogation. Amy, River and Donna are looking after her minions while I find out what the big picture is."

"And what is the big picture?" I asked.

"Dunno. I've barely started. It took awhile to get Jack sorted," he said.

He looked at me intently and then looked at my gun. A smile spread over his face.

"I have need of you and your gun," he said. "Rory, go with Jack and make sure the building is secure."

"Is he safe to be with?" Rory said, pointing to Jack.

"He should be. I removed all their brainwashing and…"

"No, he's…got a lustful look in his eyes when he looks at me," Rory said.

"Jack, keep your hands off Rory," the Doctor said.

"Aye-aye, sir," Jack said, saluting him.

"There, you're safe from his advances now. Now, go and check the building. Rose and I will deal with Marbella.

Jack nodded and beckoned to Rory to follow him. When they left, the Doctor smiled and nodded at me.

"Come, Rose, we're going to intimidate Marbella and make her tell us her plans," he said before he opened the cell door and we went inside.


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

When I entered the room behind the Doctor, Marbella glared at me. She was standing inside a cell, gripping the iron bars with her hands while she gave us looks of death. The Doctor was unconcerned by her wrath. He calmly shut the door and asked me to stand beside him and point the gun at her.

"This is my associate," the Doctor said, pointing to me. "My associate has a big gun and she's not afraid to use it."

"You won't kill me," Marbella said to him.

"Oh? And what makes you think I won't?" the Doctor said while I kept my gun pointed at her.

"Because you could have killed me in front of the humans but you refused. You're a coward, Time Lord."

"So, you admit you're not from Earth then?" the Doctor said.

Marbella snorted.

"I'm far superior to these pathetic apes. They need someone like me to rule over them, someone with far more intelligence than they have," she said.

"Rose, who is the protector of this planet?" he asked me.

"You are," I said.

"And how long have I been protecting this planet?" he asked me.

"Um…since you were small?" I said, not really knowing the answer.

"Precisely. I was assigned this planet by the gods when I was born," the Doctor said.

That was news to me. I figured it was a bunch of bullshit but you can never tell with the Doctor. I could see Marbella wasn't buying it though.

"Why should that make a difference?" she said to him.

"Because I swore to protect the humans from any threats and you and your little gang are a threat. And you know that, don't you? That's why you tried to have me and my friends executed. You know who I am, Marbella, so drop the charade."

"And this one beside you, is she one of them?" Marbella said, pointing to me.

"If by "one of them" you mean a human, yes, she is," the Doctor said. "And she's extremely loyal to me and not intimidated or fooled by your savior of the Earth act."

"And you better leave Earth if you know what's good for ya," I said.

Marbella threw back her head and laughed.

"And what makes you think I'll take your threat seriously, little ape?" she said, sneering at me.

"You'll take it seriously because I'm here to back it up," the Doctor snarled at her. "Don't test me, Marbella. You have no idea what I'm capable of."

I could see Marbella was hesitating. The Doctor said she knew who he really was so I could understand her hesitation, especially since I heard many tales of the Oncoming Storm from my Doctor. The Doctor may not look like much but I've seen firsthand how powerful he can be and how brutally he can punish people who stand in his way. There were many times when I was thankful I was on his side. But like so many others, Marbella didn't heed that warning and she sneered at the Doctor.

"What are you going to do then?" she said. "Have the pink rat shoot me in cold blood?"

"I'm not so sure about this pink rat but I have another pink rat in here who would have no problem shooting you," the Doctor said.

"And how does that make you better than me?" Marbella snarled.

"It makes me better than you because I'm protecting the people of this planet, not exploiting and enslaving them like you lot are. Now what exactly is your plan, Marbella?"

"If you're so superior to me, you figure it out," Marbella sneered.

The Doctor and I shared an exasperated look.

"You know what you did to my friend, Jack," the Doctor said to Marbella. "I can do that to you in a way that is more powerful and so deeply entrenched that you'll never be able to break free of the programming. I can cause you the most excruciating pain you've ever known. I can make your life a living hell and Rose can testify to this."

I nodded emphatically.

"So if I were you, I'd cooperate," the Doctor said.

Marbella stared at me for a moment. I had no idea why, maybe she was sizing me up and wondering if I really would shoot her.

"Is she under your control?" she finally said.

I was about to say no but the Doctor put his hand on my shoulder.

"She is completely in my power," the Doctor said so I belted up and said nothing. "I control her mind and she obeys without any hesitation. Rose, bark like a dog."

"Arf, arf, arf," I said, wondering where this was leading to.

"Jump up and down and say, "Nong, nong, nong," the Doctor said to me.

"Nong, nong, nong," I said, jumping up and down.

"Kiss me," he said.

I have to admit I was gobsmacked by that since I figured he was just going to make me do stupid things for his amusement. So I hesitated a moment which went against the point he was making of me obeying him without any hesitation. But I recovered quickly and turned to him. The Doctor leaned in and kissed me deeply and my body tingled all over. He leaned up after finishing the snog and put his fingers on my chin.

"See, completely under my thrall," the Doctor said to Marbella. "And if I tell her to shoot you, she will do it. So…now that you know I'm serious. What are your plans for this planet."

My head still swimming, I managed to turn back to the cell and aim my gun again. Actually, I was now wanting to sod this whole interrogation and spend my time snogging the Doctor senseless but business before pleasure, I suppose. Marbella, on the other hand, was still being stubborn, which didn't surprise me. In fact, she started to curse the Doctor, telling him she would kill him. Then, to my surprise, the Doctor suddenly told me to go and find Jack and Rory. I didn't want to ask why since I was supposed to obey him without question but all the same I was wondering what was going on. The Doctor nodded and smiled at me and I knew I was meant to obey without asking questions so I took one look at Marbella before leaving the room. I closed the door and headed off to find Jack and Rory.


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

I have to admit I was a bit uneasy about leaving the Doctor behind. My Doctor's done this sort of thing before and usually it's because he's about to do something he doesn't want me to see. Something unpleasant that involves doing something nasty to someone. He never speaks about what he does which leads me to wonder how much he really is capable of. I don't know about this Doctor but I could never get the truth out of my Doctor, no matter what I did, so I learned not to ask anymore. I only know that the Oncoming Storm name and people's fear of him has to come from somewhere.

I was searching for Jack and Rory when I turned the corner and ran into River. She was leading one of the guards by the hand and he had a soppy look on his face. I noticed there was a bit of lipstick smeared across his lips. River gave me a shocked look.

"I thought you went back to your universe with Rory," she said.

"I did. We mended Rory and we came back. He's helping Jack patrol the building," I said. "What's wrong with him?" I added, pointing to the guard.

River grinned and leaned in.

"Hallucinogenic lipstick, I never leave home without it," she said softly to me. "I got this one to talk after I gave him a little kiss and he gave me some information. I was going to see the Doctor and let my friend tell him personally."

"He's with Marbella," I said. "I was helping to guard her but he asked me to leave and patrol the building. I think he's doing something to Marbella now and he didn't want me to watch."

"I have a feeling you're right. He does that sometimes," River said grimly. "I love my husband but sometimes he thinks we're too stupid to realize…"

River trailed off when she noticed I was reeling back in shock. The moment she said "husband" I stopped listening to her. I had a suspicion they had a relationship but married…was this in the future for my Doctor has well? Suddenly, I had an urge to just drop everything and leave this universe for good.

"Rose? What's wrong?" River said to me.

I looked at her face, trying to determine if she was being sarcastic and mocking me but she looked sincere. Great, the Doctor didn't tell her about me. Just like Sarah Jane. And if he was married to this woman, why did he just kiss me? Suddenly, I had an urge to slap him. I debated whether to just leave this universe for good but the Doctor needed me right now. So I decided to just shove all my emotions to the side and help them out. Then I would leave and never come back.

"Nothing, it's nothing," I said, shaking my head.

"No, Rose, it's something, I can tell," River said.

"Aren't we going to the party?" the guard said to River.

"In a moment, darling," River said quickly to him before turning her attention back to me. "Sorry, I told him he was on a date with me and we were going to a fancy dress ball to meet the Doctor. But what is really going on, Rose? You look pale."

I don't doubt that. I felt sick to my stomach as well. But I forced myself to quickly tell River who I was and that I had a relationship with the Doctor. I also told her about the kiss. River's mood darkened at that and I thought she'd say something to me but instead she told me to follow her. She asked me to show her where the Doctor was and I led her back to the cell block. We said nothing on the way back but River didn't see to be angry at me. She looked upset but I sensed it was directed at the Doctor. As for me, I didn't know what to think about her. She seemed nice enough but why did the Doctor marry her when he told me all this time that we could never be together. I felt so betrayed.

We stopped outside the cell door and River pounded on it.

"Doctor, it's me," River yelled. "Open the door and come out!"

She stepped back and looked at me. She gave me a kind smile so obviously she wasn't angry at me. The door finally opened and the Doctor tentatively stuck his head outside the door and looked at us.

"Yeah?" he said.

"We want to speak to you, both of us," River said to him. "Whatever you're doing with Marbella, it can wait."

"What about him?" the Doctor said, pointing to the guard.

"I used my lipstick on him and got him to talk. I was bringing him here to tell you what he told me but I ran into Rose on the way," River said.

"Okay…" the Doctor said in confusion.

"Just…step outside," River said, beckoning to him.

The Doctor sighed. He stepped outside and closed the door. He was about to say something when River suddenly slapped him hard across the face. The Doctor staggered back, a stunned look on his face while he held his hand to his cheek.

"What was that for?" the Doctor said angrily to her.

"I was speaking to Rose and Rose informed me that you sent her away so you could be alone with Marbella. I let it slip that we were married which visibly upset her. She then informed me that you just kissed her not ten minutes ago. Needless to say, both of us are upset," she said.

The Doctor groaned. He looked at both of us.

"How come you didn't tell her we were married?" River said to him.

"I didn't have time. I've been a bit busy, River," the Doctor said angrily.

"Is that is or were you afraid Rose would be upset?" River said. "And that would mean you wouldn't be able to kiss her if she knew?"

"I thought it best not to tell her since our wedding hasn't occurred in her universe yet," the Doctor said. "I didn't want the two of you having a catfight."

"And you weren't going to tell me of this plan of yours?" River said. "If I'd known, I would have chosen my words more carefully around her. And why did you kiss her? Was that part of the charade?"

The Doctor sighed and slumped against the wall.

"I couldn't help myself," he said weakly. "You don't know about her and how close we were. I missed her and I just…I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I momentarily lost my senses and hurt you both. I was hoping to avoid conflict between you two."

"What conflict? I figured you had relationships before me. Nine hundred years, sweetie. I wasn't counting on you being a choir boy when we started dating. She's your past lover, big deal. I've had other lovers before I met you. My mum can attest to that. I had several boyfriends when she knew me as Mels. I'm not angry that you loved Rose, I'm angry that you weren't honest with either of us about our connections to you. But of course that's de rigueur with you, isn't it? Rule one, the Doctor lies and all that?"

"I'm sorry, I really am," the Doctor said.

He looked at me, his eyes pleading for understanding.

"Did your Doctor fade away before he could finish his sentence?" he asked me.

"Yeah, he did," I said softly.

"I did the same and I regretted that. Not to mention I did something else later on that I regret. Something that hasn't happened to you yet but will happen soon."

I didn't like the sound of that but I kept my mouth shut and let him speak.

"When I regenerated, I realized that I made a lot of mistakes in my previous life. I was stupid when it came to our relationship and I didn't want to repeat the errors I made in my past life. So…when River came along, I opened my hearts to her in a way I didn't with you."

"And you married her," I said.

"Yes. But I love you both. I can't stop myself from loving you, Rose. I can't turn it on and off like a switch. Having you here rekindled some of the emotions inside me and…when I started pretending you were my slave, I thought I would take the opportunity to steal a kiss from you. That wasn't the smartest thing to do but I couldn't help myself. I had to kiss you again. I know it's not much of an excuse but it's the truth. The Doctor doesn't always lie, River," he said, looking at her. "I thought since she was leaving that I could get away with it and give her another wonderful memory of us. I hope you can forgive me. I don't want either of you to be cross with me. I want you to be friends."

He gave us a hopeful look. I looked at River and she looked at me. She grinned and let go of the guard and took my arm. The Doctor watched us while she took me about fifteen feet down the corridor. She whispered in my ear and I giggled when I heard her plan. While she was whispering, I watched the Doctor while he examined the guard. The guard was still a bit giddy and was telling the Doctor how much fun he was having at the party. I made a mental note to ask River if she had some more of her lipstick. It seemed to work pretty well. She finished telling me her plan and the Doctor watched us hopefully while we walked back to him.

"So…everything all right then? I do have to get back to interrogating Marbella," the Doctor said.

"We will forgive you on one condition," River said to him.

"And that condition is?" the Doctor said to her.

"We each get one slap at your cheek as punishment for deceiving us," River said.

The Doctor looked uneasy at that.

"You want to slap me?" he said.

"Well, it's better than a kick in the crotch, isn't it?" River said while I giggled.

The Doctor's eyes widened and I figured he was scared River might actually kick him because he quickly agreed to our punishment. I let River go first and stood back. The Doctor braced himself and River slapped him hard on the left side of the face. Then she stepped back and I stepped in front of him.

"Please don't make it Jackie strength," he said to me.

Ah-ha, that's what he was nervous about. I told him I would go easy on him before I hauled off and slapped him. He started to put his hand over his stinging cheek when River grabbed it. She looked at me and I walked around to the right side of his face and both of us kissed his cheeks at the same time. A big grin spread over the Doctor's face as we stepped back and he embraced us both.

"Thank you for not killing me," he said to us. "I'm sorry it came to this."

"Well, I consider it forgiven now that we got in a slap to your face," River said.

"And so do I," I said.

The Doctor beamed at that before turning his attention to the guard.

"So…what does he have to say to me?" he said, pointing to him.


End file.
